COLUMN: Impressive signing class for Pack, but will it pay off

By Brett Friedlander

Published: Wednesday, February 5, 2014 at 07:54 PM.

RALEIGH – Dave Doeren might not have made an immediate splash on the football field in his first season as N.C. State’s coach. But despite that unsightly 3-9 record and 0 for the ACC disaster – or perhaps, because of it – he sure seems to have made a positive impression on a large group of up-and-coming young players. Especially those within the state of North Carolina.

Doeren introduced a group of 33 new recruits Wednesday, the first day high school seniors were allowed to sign National Letters of Intent. It is by far the largest class assembled by anyone in this area. Not only does that windfall include 18 homegrown products, including linebacker Coult Culler of Wilmington Laney and Warsaw Kenan running back Marcelias Sutton, it more importantly addresses almost all of the many deficiencies that helped bring about the Wolfpack’s demise in 2013.

And in a dramatic departure from the philosophy of former coach Tom O’Brien, nearly half of State’s newest players are ranked among the top 50 nationally at their position by either Scout, Rivals or ESPN.com.

Though no recruiting class can be accurately judged on signing day – no matter how many stars the scouting services put next to the names – it appears as though Doeren has succeeded in laying a solid foundation for the building effort that still has ahead.

“I didn’t feel like we had enough depth or competition in our program and we needed to accomplish both,” Doeren said at a press conference at Carter-Finley Stadium. “We had some major deficits at certain spots and we answered them at every single one.”

Among the areas of greatest need were the lines of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Offensively, that meant going out and recruiting an entire line of two guards, two tackles and a center. On the other side of the ball, State signed five defensive linemen, including the crown jewel of “Wolfpack14” – Greenville’s Kentavius Street, a pass rushing end rated as the No. 2 overall prospect in North Carolina.

In the receiving corps and secondary, positions at which newcomers will be counted on to make immediate contributions, Doeren and his assistants added depth and skill. As much as field-ready players such as cornerback Troy Vincent Jr., safety Germain Pratt and wide receiver Stephen Louis will enhance the Wolfpack’s effort to turn things around quickly, the most important member of the new signing class isn’t likely to see action for at least two years.

But if quarterback Jalan McClendon is called into service early because of an injury to starter Jacoby Brissett, the transition at least promises to be smoother than it was last season under the contrasting styles of Brandon Mitchell and backup Pete Thomas.

“We wanted a quarterback that had a similar skill set to Jacoby,” Doeren said. “It was important that we found somebody that was like him so that if we have something where he can’t play a game or a series we’re not having to change schematically. That’s something any team will struggle with when you have to guys that are totally different from each other.”

One thing with which the Wolfpack didn’t struggle last season, even as the losses began to mount, was the resolve its young staff had on the recruiting trail. Doeren said that a number of his commits were approached by other schools both during and after the 2013 season. But not a single one of them changed their mind.

“We didn’t lie to them,” Doeren said. “We didn’t come in and say we’re going to be 12-0 in Year 1. We told them we’re building a program and we need some guys to come in and want to be part of that process.”

From the lengthy list of Wednesday’s recruiting haul, it appears as though Doeren’s message of “a united mission to build a champion” hit home. But it’s easy to claim victory on National Signing Day. Almost everyone does. The challenge now is finding a way to bring all that new talent together and making as big a splash on Saturdays in the fall as on the first Wednesday in February.

ACC Insider Brett Friedlander can be reached at starnewsacc@gmail.com

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RALEIGH – Dave Doeren might not have made an immediate splash on the football field in his first season as N.C. State’s coach. But despite that unsightly 3-9 record and 0 for the ACC disaster – or perhaps, because of it – he sure seems to have made a positive impression on a large group of up-and-coming young players. Especially those within the state of North Carolina.

Doeren introduced a group of 33 new recruits Wednesday, the first day high school seniors were allowed to sign National Letters of Intent. It is by far the largest class assembled by anyone in this area. Not only does that windfall include 18 homegrown products, including linebacker Coult Culler of Wilmington Laney and Warsaw Kenan running back Marcelias Sutton, it more importantly addresses almost all of the many deficiencies that helped bring about the Wolfpack’s demise in 2013.

And in a dramatic departure from the philosophy of former coach Tom O’Brien, nearly half of State’s newest players are ranked among the top 50 nationally at their position by either Scout, Rivals or ESPN.com.

Though no recruiting class can be accurately judged on signing day – no matter how many stars the scouting services put next to the names – it appears as though Doeren has succeeded in laying a solid foundation for the building effort that still has ahead.

“I didn’t feel like we had enough depth or competition in our program and we needed to accomplish both,” Doeren said at a press conference at Carter-Finley Stadium. “We had some major deficits at certain spots and we answered them at every single one.”

Among the areas of greatest need were the lines of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Offensively, that meant going out and recruiting an entire line of two guards, two tackles and a center. On the other side of the ball, State signed five defensive linemen, including the crown jewel of “Wolfpack14” – Greenville’s Kentavius Street, a pass rushing end rated as the No. 2 overall prospect in North Carolina.

In the receiving corps and secondary, positions at which newcomers will be counted on to make immediate contributions, Doeren and his assistants added depth and skill. As much as field-ready players such as cornerback Troy Vincent Jr., safety Germain Pratt and wide receiver Stephen Louis will enhance the Wolfpack’s effort to turn things around quickly, the most important member of the new signing class isn’t likely to see action for at least two years.

But if quarterback Jalan McClendon is called into service early because of an injury to starter Jacoby Brissett, the transition at least promises to be smoother than it was last season under the contrasting styles of Brandon Mitchell and backup Pete Thomas.

“We wanted a quarterback that had a similar skill set to Jacoby,” Doeren said. “It was important that we found somebody that was like him so that if we have something where he can’t play a game or a series we’re not having to change schematically. That’s something any team will struggle with when you have to guys that are totally different from each other.”

One thing with which the Wolfpack didn’t struggle last season, even as the losses began to mount, was the resolve its young staff had on the recruiting trail. Doeren said that a number of his commits were approached by other schools both during and after the 2013 season. But not a single one of them changed their mind.

“We didn’t lie to them,” Doeren said. “We didn’t come in and say we’re going to be 12-0 in Year 1. We told them we’re building a program and we need some guys to come in and want to be part of that process.”

From the lengthy list of Wednesday’s recruiting haul, it appears as though Doeren’s message of “a united mission to build a champion” hit home. But it’s easy to claim victory on National Signing Day. Almost everyone does. The challenge now is finding a way to bring all that new talent together and making as big a splash on Saturdays in the fall as on the first Wednesday in February.